On Saturday evening, December 12, a big concert was held in Abidjan to celebrate the thirty years of zouglou, Ivorian popular music called “philosophical” and “political”, a statement music that was also put in the spotlight. , once is not customary, in the silent universe of the Palais des congrès.
as reported from Abidjan, François Hume-Ferkatadji
Yodé and Siro, the bosses, Zouglou Mania, Espoir 2000, Zouglou Machine or even Didier Bilé: all those who wrote the story of this music genre that exploded in the 90s off the Ivory Coast, agreed on this Saturday 12 December on the stage of the Palais des congress. Born in the corners of the university city of Abidjan, Zouglou is now celebrating its 30th anniversary. The evening is a form of recognition for this style of music, according to the organizer Angelo Kabila: “We wanted to put together the whole puzzle in this rhythm. We have called on all elders, all creators to this day, to be able to celebrate together tonight. ”
“Meditate on our difficulties”
One of the forerunners of this music, Lago Paulin, justifies its success: “Since zouglou is a music of demand, zouglou sings what the Ivorians feel. That’s why this zouglou lasted. “Among the spectators who stand up with each new song, many remember their student years deeply marked by zouglou:” It really is a musical style that allows us to recreate and then meditate on our difficulties. This allowed us to spend very good university years. Today we look like in a rearview mirror (laughs). ”
Take the pulse of society
Music that continues to take the pulse of society. The recent conviction of artists Yodé and Siro for “contempt of court” is widely criticized. “Bébé Nichon”, singer for the group Zouglou Machine: “Zouglou at the base, it is to condemn what is wrong in society. So when we call artists like Yodé and Siro, it is because we have not understood the zouglou mentality.”
Today, Sunday 13 December, a more popular concert with tickets at affordable prices is planned at the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny University, the cradle of this music which is now an integral part of the Ivorian cultural identity.
► Read also: Ivory Coast: the singers of zouglou Yodé and Siro were sentenced to one year in prison
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